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When I was in grade school, my friend Emily told us that her mother had chosen her name because it was unique -- Emily hadn't been a popular baby name in quite some time, and she liked it because it was different without being weird. Or so she thought. This Emily was one of six that sat at our lunch table. Using middle names was out -- all the Emilys had the middle name Elizabeth, and there were plenty of those in our group of friends, too. All of the Emilys' parents thought they were choosing unique baby names, but they all ended up picking the same one! On the other end of the spectrum, I had a friend with a very unusual Russian name who got tired of mispronunciations, misspellings, and teasing, and eventually changed her name to Jane.
There's no way to know before your child is born whether or not he or she would prefer a popular baby name or something on the quirkier side, but you do know that if you choose the most popular baby name, your kid is going to share it with a lot of others growing up. You also know that to kids, unique can be the same as weird, and a unique name might lead to teasing. Popular baby names with unusual spellings are all the rage right now, but consider that your baby will spend a lifetime correcting misspellings and mispronunciations when you get too creative.
Mom Jennifer Chalfan had the most popular baby name for her birth year, and decided she didn't want that for her daughter. She says that it was hard to choose, but ultimately "we picked a name not on the top names list that we both liked." Her daughter, seven-month-old Katelyn, might not be the only Katelyn in her class -- this name is gaining popularity -- but maybe then she'll choose to go by her lovely middle name, Adele, which is a much less common baby name. This formula of common first name + less common middle name is a good one, so that your child can choose to go by their middle name if the first name turns out to be a dime a dozen.
Christina Mars knew that she had chosen the number one most popular baby name for her son Jacob, but she had decided to name her first son after her grandfather long before little Jacob was conceived. For her second son, she and husband Vince decided on Benjamin. They weren't going for anything obscure. "We like very strong, traditional, non cutesy names. Names that will sound good in the Board Room. Names that carry a strength when said." If those are popular baby names, then so be it.
Leanne Inge, mom of four-month-old Penelope Jane, wanted a quirky name, but stopped short of outrageous. "We chose a name so our daughter will probably be the only one in her class with that name, but when a substitute teacher is calling roll she wouldn't be confused," says Leanne. That's a thoughtful way to narrow it down! Inge continues, "We also wanted something that was nickname friendly so if one day Penelope Jane decided we'd ruined her life with her name, she could be PJ, Penny, Nellie, or Poppy, etc." It's wise to consider potential nicknames no matter what kind of name you select. If your child has one of the most popular baby names, what nickname might you use to differentiate your Isabella from all the other Isabellas? My two-year-old niece has the very grown-up name Francesca, but for now she goes by Frankie, which seems more age-appropriate. It's also a good idea to imagine the mean nicknames that other kids might come up with -- watch out for anything that rhymes with naughty words, and be careful about what your baby's initials spell.
Father of two little girls, Greg Humphreys offers some amusing insight. "I wanted names that sounded plausible following both 'chief justice,' 'doctor,' or 'mistress.' Some names just seem to shut doors." Names that might be fun for babies can be a real burden in the professional world. Would you take a job applicant seriously if his name were Bubbles? A cutesy nickname is fine for a tot, but we recommend against putting it on the birth certificate.
If you choose a popular baby name, your child will probably be one of many in his or her school. It wasn't impossible for us to deal with all the Emilys in our peer group -- there are certainly tougher problems than sharing a name. But it's probably a good idea to have nicknames or unique middle names in mind when you pick names from the top of the list. When you go with a really different name, don't just make something up, or mangle the spelling of a common name. Ask yourself if the name might invite teasing or trouble with spelling and pronunciation. Stuck for inspiration? Family names are a good place to start, as well as characters from your favorite book (I love that I'm named for my mom's favorite literary characters, Meg and Beth of Little Women). Without stealing names from other parents, you can get ideas from them by asking how they chose the names that they did.
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When I was in grade school, my friend Emily told us that her mother had chosen her name because it was unique -- Emily hadn't been a popular baby name in quite some time, and she liked it because it was different without being weird. Or so she thought. This Emily was one of six that sat at our lunch table. Using middle names was out -- all the Emilys had the middle name Elizabeth, and there were plenty of those in our group of friends, too. All of the Emilys' parents thought they were choosing unique baby names, but they all ended up picking the same one! On the other end of the spectrum, I had a friend with a very unusual Russian name who got tired of mispronunciations, misspellings, and teasing, and eventually changed her name to Jane. There's no way to know before your child is born whether or not he or she would prefer a popular baby name or something on the quirkier side, but you do know that if you choose the most popular baby name, your kid is going to share it with a lot of others growing up. You also know that to kids, unique can be the same as weird, and a unique name might lead to teasing. Popular baby names with unusual spellings are all the rage right now, but consider that your baby will spend a lifetime correcting misspellings and mispronunciations when you get too creative.
Mom Jennifer Chalfan had the most popular baby name for her birth year, and decided she didn't want that for her daughter. She says that it was hard to choose, but ultimately "we picked a name not on the top names list that we both liked." Her daughter, seven-month-old Katelyn, might not be the only Katelyn in her class -- this name is gaining popularity -- but maybe then she'll choose to go by her lovely middle name, Adele, which is a much less common baby name. This formula of common first name + less common middle name is a good one, so that your child can choose to go by their middle name if the first name turns out to be a dime a dozen.
Christina Mars knew that she had chosen the number one most popular baby name for her son Jacob, but she had decided to name her first son after her grandfather long before little Jacob was conceived. For her second son, she and husband Vince decided on Benjamin. They weren't going for anything obscure. "We like very strong, traditional, non cutesy names. Names that will sound good in the Board Room. Names that carry a strength when said." If those are popular baby names, then so be it.
Leanne Inge, mom of four-month-old Penelope Jane, wanted a quirky name, but stopped short of outrageous. "We chose a name so our daughter will probably be the only one in her class with that name, but when a substitute teacher is calling roll she wouldn't be confused," says Leanne. That's a thoughtful way to narrow it down! Inge continues, "We also wanted something that was nickname friendly so if one day Penelope Jane decided we'd ruined her life with her name, she could be PJ, Penny, Nellie, or Poppy, etc." It's wise to consider potential nicknames no matter what kind of name you select. If your child has one of the most popular baby names, what nickname might you use to differentiate your Isabella from all the other Isabellas? My two-year-old niece has the very grown-up name Francesca, but for now she goes by Frankie, which seems more age-appropriate. It's also a good idea to imagine the mean nicknames that other kids might come up with -- watch out for anything that rhymes with naughty words, and be careful about what your baby's initials spell.
Father of two little girls, Greg Humphreys offers some amusing insight. "I wanted names that sounded plausible following both 'chief justice,' 'doctor,' or 'mistress.' Some names just seem to shut doors." Names that might be fun for babies can be a real burden in the professional world. Would you take a job applicant seriously if his name were Bubbles? A cutesy nickname is fine for a tot, but we recommend against putting it on the birth certificate.
If you choose a popular baby name, your child will probably be one of many in his or her school. It wasn't impossible for us to deal with all the Emilys in our peer group -- there are certainly tougher problems than sharing a name. But it's probably a good idea to have nicknames or unique middle names in mind when you pick names from the top of the list. When you go with a really different name, don't just make something up, or mangle the spelling of a common name. Ask yourself if the name might invite teasing or trouble with spelling and pronunciation. Stuck for inspiration? Family names are a good place to start, as well as characters from your favorite book (I love that I'm named for my mom's favorite literary characters, Meg and Beth of Little Women). Without stealing names from other parents, you can get ideas from them by asking how they chose the names that they did.